Paint a picture black & white [open]

[Nicole Lupin]

<sub>Take your head phones off, little girl.
Listen to the sounds of the w o r l d. <3

Fall. Or something close to winter. Nicole loved this kind of weather. The kind where it was just about ready to snow and you could feel it. Smiling, the Gryffindor spreads her arms out, does a twirl where she is and decides that today couldn't get any better even if it wanted to. She was a content person, all in all.

Truth be told she couldn't say she had a best friend but needless to say, she didn't really believe in them anyway. Everyone leaves at some point, nothing lasts forever. All that friendship rubbish was something her sisters found to be promising. Nicole, find a friend. Stick with that person. Life will be easy after that. Or so that's what they told her.

"Yeah right." Rose Petal lane looked empty today. Mindlessly, the girl sits on a lone bench and continues to think of what her sisters said. So far she was doing alright. What would a friend prove to be? An annoyance? Ugh.</sub>

[jarodlacroux]

Jarod leaves the common rooms for the first time in a week since his recovery over the flu. Cold weather never settled well with Jarod since he was prone to illnesses and hated having to go through them slowly. Not even magical ailments could heal him quickly enough. But since he did have a successful recovery, a bite to eat sounded very tempting since he hasn't had real food besides chicken broth, jello, and water all this time. Gross.

The kitchen was very busy with house elves bustling around and preparing meals for the day. He could smell ham and cheese sandwiches, roast, steak and kidney pie, and all sorts of desserts and rolls. Picking up only a sweet roll and probably a bottle of butterbeer, he leaves the house elves to their work, not bothering to look back to say thank you for their hospitality. They wouldn't have heard it either way since it was so loud with pots and pans clinking together.

Great Hall wasn't any better with students finishing up homework and having little games with each other. Jarod still hasn't had the time to make good friends and relations around here, but he blamed that on his high-society snootiness with the way his parents have raised him. He finished up the rest of his roll, licking up the traces of sweetness and drowning down his butterbeer. Disposing the bottle, he goes to a nearby washroom to wash his hands of saliva and sweets.

Where would be a good place to hang out these days? All Jarod knew is that he wanted to avoid one person, and she is Symantha Grey, a first year Slytherin. Since he hasn't really seen her in weeks, he was actually feeling much chipper. Perhaps he'll actually find someone he can talk to besides AnnaSophia. She's probably the only person he considers a friend. Approaching the front long doors, he exits through a small opening, and closes it with a hand behind.

Rose Petal Lane wasn't as vibrant as it should be during the summer. Jarod wouldn't know that much though, but he figured roses are at their best during summer and early fall, but it was late almost into winter. His heavy black sweater did him well to keep him warm though, so no worries of covering himself in layer upon layer. Blue orbs glance around as he strolls down the lane, only recognizing one lonely soul sitting on a bench nearby. Of course he didn't recognize her and he could just ignore her either way.

But she was alone and he had nothing else better to do. Striking up conversations weren't his best attributes either. That was obvious with his first interaction with Symantha, but perhaps he could be more laid back and less arrogant than he normally was. "Hello," he finally says while approaching the girl at the bench. She looked no older than he since Jarod was seventeen years old. "Don't mind if I join you, do you?" He asks while motioning to the seat next to her.

[Nicole Lupin]

<sub>It was so dreary, that the cloudless sky made Nicole realize how much she hated this outdoorsy stuff and would much prefer if it would just snow already. Sighing, the Gryffindor shuts her eyes and promises herself it's only to relax. No, of course she wouldn't take a nap on a bench. Who does that? Well whatever her story was, it was enough to make her oblivious from the stranger walking up to her.

Without opening her eyes, she hears that it is a boy ... an unfamiliar tone at that but then again, many people sound unfamiliar to her these days. Even family. She hasn't really picked up on the fact that this boy in question is speaking to her until she hears, Do you? and tries to scramble up somewhere what she heard. It was registering, her brows furrowing together in concentration but at the same time Nicole refused to open her eyes just yet. "Do I ... what?" Moments pass awkwardly before it clicks and oh! Can he join her?

She shrugs from where she's seated, not really caring either way. A corner of her mouth lifts out of amusement, but she turns her head so this boy cannot see. "You can sit wherever you'd like. However, if you plan on occupying that seat besides me let me be fair and warn you beforehand. I can't keep a conversation anything but awkward, I ramble, I tend to forget a lot of what people say. Don't take it to heart ... I just find other things more fascinating. So. Now, disclaimer and all your choice if you want to still sit there or not."

Ramble finished, Nicole finally opens her eyes and smiles. "Nicole Lupin."</sub>